Kingston Beach Dental is an accredited, family-friendly dental practice in the Kingston, Kingborough and Channel areas. You can be assured of quality and caring dentistry, and service with integrity at Kingston Beach Dental.

Renovations are in full swing at Shop 98 Channel Court. We have been thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive patient feedback that we have received from our patients and the community so far. We are track for our move in December 2017.

If you are a current patient we would love to get your feedback and identify any concerns you may have. Please complete our quick 2 minute survey https://tinyurl.com/yd4xbb26

Some health funds are engaging in aggressive marketing and telling their patients that they have to attend “Preferred Provider” or "Members Choice" practices in order to receive dental treatment and to maximise rebates under their insurance policies. Dr Martyn Sweet, Practice Principal at Kingston Beach Dental feels strongly about why we are NOT A “PREFERRED PROVIDER” PRACTICE. Kingston Beach Dental sees patients from ALL health funds. For your convenience, you can claim your health fund rebate at on-the-spot using our convenient HICAPS system.

We thought it timely to address some of the issues and explain how “Preferred Provider” arrangements work, why we are NOT a “Preferred Provider” Practice and why YOU should be able to choose to see the dentist who YOU PREFER, rather than the dentist that the fund prefers you see.

At Kingston Beach Dental, we provide quality and caring dentistry. The best treatment decisions are made through consultation between patient and dentist, and without influence from the health fund.

Our position is supported by the Australian Dental Association (ADA): “One of the problems we have philosophically is whether a health insurer should actually be providing the service for which they are charging a fee, providing a rebate and then charging the contributor a fee to actually join the insurer". The ADA believe there is a conflict of interest that is not visible to the patient.

“Preferred Providers” are NOT preferred because of their dental ability, but because they make a financial agreement with the health fund. It is worth considering why dentists need to make financial arrangements with health funds to fill their appointment books. Health funds are not concerned with the quality of treatment, only with securing shareholder profits through an increased number of patients. There is no assurance about the quality of the work provided in a “Preferred Provider” contract.

Health funds impose annual limits on the amount you can claim. If you receive higher rebates back at a "Preferred Provider" practice, you will reach the limit of what you can claim sooner and then be out-of-pocket. Unfortunately, the health funds focus is to encourage you to go to practices that they have financial arrangements with because it benefits them to do so, particularly once your limit is used up.

It is important to be comfortable with your dentist. We believe you should see the dentist YOU PREFER to see. You should feel confident being treated by them and knowing that they are recommending the best treatment for you. You also want assurance that you will have continuity of care with your dentist, and not have your right to choose dictated by your health fund and their contractual arrangements with particular dentists.

If is very unfair if you pay the same premiums as “Joe Bloggs” but get lower rebates because you go to the dentist you prefer. If you pay the same premium, you deserve the best care and the same rebates as other contributors, regardless of where you go.

Once a dentist enters into an exclusive arrangement with a health fund, the funds may reduce their rebate over time, while the dentist’s overheads will probably increase. This means the “Preferred Provider” dentists may work at an increased speed and use cheaper quality materials to maintain their income. Some dentists unfortunately may start to cut corners or make decisions about treatment based on the best rebate payments offered by the health fund, rather than what is the best option for you. There are examples of over-servicing and sending lab work to cheap overseas dental laboratories when decisions are made based on health fund rebates. The health fund has therefore interfered in the decision-making process about your care. The NHS in the UK is an excellent example of the poor level of dental care provided when a third party is the major influence on dental treatment decisions.

Insurance is usually to cover BIG problems and should pay to cover almost all of your expenses. Extras cover only covers a proportion of relatively small health costs. It may be more cost effective to save your Extras Premiums and use the money you have saved directly towards health costs if you are not really getting value for money from your extras cover. Remember that your health funds impose annual limits on how much you can claim. If you go to a preferred provider practice because they are offering higher rebates, you will reach the limit of what your health fund will cover sooner. If you are spending more on your Extras Premiums than your receive in rebates it might be time to review your policy and decide whether it gives you value for money. If you are unhappy with your current health fund, perhaps it is time for a review?

Questions to ask your Health Fund:

Why are you telling me I can’t I see the dentist I prefer if I am paying the same premiums as someone who goes to a “Preferred Provider”?

Why haven’t my rebates increased in line with premium increases?

Why doesn’t the fund charge me lower premiums if I am getting lower rebates back for seeing the dentist I choose to see?

What can you do as a patient to ensure the best care available?

Choose a dentist based on personal recommendations and word-of-mouth. This is our biggest source of referrals at Kingston Beach Dental. We do not need to rely on arrangements with health funds to secure our patients.

Discuss your treatment and the cost with your dentist. They want to look after you and develop a personalised treatment plan, tailored to your needs.

We have reviewed and updated our recall system to help you and to increase efficiency. If you have not booked ahead for your 6 monthly examination and clean appointment at your preferred time, we will send you a friendly reminder by SMS or Email when you are due. We will also be reactivating reminders to patients who might not have been in for a while, to help you get your dental health routine back on-track.

We will only be sending paper reminders if you specifically request that we send you a postcard in the post.

We will not send you unsolicited electronic correspondence and your details are always stored securely and in accordance with privacy legislation.

Thank you for your support of this initiative to cut down on paper, production costs and to increase the efficiency of our communication with you.

Some health funds are engaging in aggressive marketing and telling their patients that they have to attend “Preferred Provider” or "Members Choice" practices in order to receive dental treatment and to maximise rebates under their insurance policies. Dr Martyn Sweet, Practice Principal at Kingston Beach Dental feels strongly about why we are NOT A “PREFERRED PROVIDER” PRACTICE. Kingston Beach Dental sees patients from ALL health funds. For your convenience, you can claim your health fund rebate at on-the-spot using our convenient HICAPS system.

We thought it timely to address some of the issues and explain how “Preferred Provider” arrangements work, why we are NOT a “Preferred Provider” Practice and why YOU should be able to choose to see the dentist who YOU PREFER, rather than the dentist that the fund prefers you see.

At Kingston Beach Dental, we provide quality and caring dentistry. The best treatment decisions are made through consultation between patient and dentist, and without influence from the health fund.

Our position is supported by the Australian Dental Association (ADA): “One of the problems we have philosophically is whether a health insurer should actually be providing the service for which they are charging a fee, providing a rebate and then charging the contributor a fee to actually join the insurer". The ADA believe there is a conflict of interest that is not visible to the patient.

“Preferred Providers” are NOT preferred because of their dental ability, but because they make a financial agreement with the health fund. It is worth considering why dentists need to make financial arrangements with health funds to fill their appointment books. Health funds are not concerned with the quality of treatment, only with securing shareholder profits through an increased number of patients. There is no assurance about the quality of the work provided in a “Preferred Provider” contract.

Health funds impose annual limits on the amount you can claim. If you receive higher rebates back at a "Preferred Provider" practice, you will reach the limit of what you can claim sooner and then be out-of-pocket. Unfortunately, the health funds focus is to encourage you to go to practices that they have financial arrangements with because it benefits them to do so, particularly once your limit is used up.

It is important to be comfortable with your dentist. We believe you should see the dentist YOU PREFER to see. You should feel confident being treated by them and knowing that they are recommending the best treatment for you. You also want assurance that you will have continuity of care with your dentist, and not have your right to choose dictated by your health fund and their contractual arrangements with particular dentists.

If is very unfair if you pay the same premiums as “Joe Bloggs” but get lower rebates because you go to the dentist you prefer. If you pay the same premium, you deserve the best care and the same rebates as other contributors, regardless of where you go.

Once a dentist enters into an exclusive arrangement with a health fund, the funds may reduce their rebate over time, while the dentist’s overheads will probably increase. This means the “Preferred Provider” dentists may work at an increased speed and use cheaper quality materials to maintain their income. Some dentists unfortunately may start to cut corners or make decisions about treatment based on the best rebate payments offered by the health fund, rather than what is the best option for you. There are examples of over-servicing and sending lab work to cheap overseas dental laboratories when decisions are made based on health fund rebates. The health fund has therefore interfered in the decision-making process about your care. The NHS in the UK is an excellent example of the poor level of dental care provided when a third party is the major influence on dental treatment decisions.

Insurance is usually to cover BIG problems and should pay to cover almost all of your expenses. Extras cover only covers a proportion of relatively small health costs. It may be more cost effective to save your Extras Premiums and use the money you have saved directly towards health costs if you are not really getting value for money from your extras cover. Remember that your health funds impose annual limits on how much you can claim. If you go to a preferred provider practice because they are offering higher rebates, you will reach the limit of what your health fund will cover sooner. If you are spending more on your Extras Premiums than your receive in rebates it might be time to review your policy and decide whether it gives you value for money. If you are unhappy with your current health fund, perhaps it is time for a review?

Questions to ask your Health Fund:

Why are you telling me I can’t I see the dentist I prefer if I am paying the same premiums as someone who goes to a “Preferred Provider”?

Why haven’t my rebates increased in line with premium increases?

Why doesn’t the fund charge me lower premiums if I am getting lower rebates back for seeing the dentist I choose to see?

What can you do as a patient to ensure the best care available?

Choose a dentist based on personal recommendations and word-of-mouth. This is our biggest source of referrals at Kingston Beach Dental. We do not need to rely on arrangements with health funds to secure our patients.

Discuss your treatment and the cost with your dentist. They want to look after you and develop a personalised treatment plan, tailored to your needs.

If dirty, rinse with some milk or saliva. If you must rinse in water, only do so for a few seconds.

Don’t scrub or rub the root surface.

Insert the tooth back into its previous position in the mouth, making sure it is the right way around and in the right place by comparing with the adjacent teeth. If you can not put it back into place, do not force it.

Don’t let the tooth dry out: keep the tooth moist in a small container of milk or saliva. DO NOT STORE THE TOOTH IN WATER and DO NOT WRAP IT IN TISSUE OR CLOTH.

We are thrilled to welcome Dr Dhruv Oberai to the Kingston Beach Dental team.

Dr Dhruv graduated in 2003 and gained Australian ADC accreditation for his university qualification in 2006. He is passionate about dentistry and enjoys managing larger complex treatment plans with a particular interest in implants. In his spare time he loves to travel and sample the cuisines on offer. Dr Dhruv is eagerly awaiting the arrival of his first child with his wonderful dentist wife, Dr Shilpa Oberai. Dr Shilpa will commence maternity leave on Tuesday 16th June 2015 and Dr Dhruv starts on Wednesday 17th June 2015.

We wish Dr Shilpa all the very best for maternity leave (until she returns in January 2016) and know that her patients are in very good hands with Dr Dhruv.

Kingston Beach Dental welcomes new patients so give us a call on 6229 6775.

Some health funds are engaging in aggressive marketing and telling their patients that they have to attend “Preferred Provider” or "Members Choice" practices in order to receive dental treatment and to maximise rebates under their insurance policies. Dr Martyn Sweet, Practice Principal at Kingston Beach Dental feels strongly about why we are NOT A “PREFERRED PROVIDER” PRACTICE. Kingston Beach Dental sees patients from ALL health funds. For your convenience, you can claim your health fund rebate at on-the-spot using our convenient HICAPS system.

We thought it timely to address some of the issues and explain how “Preferred Provider” arrangements work, why we are NOT a “Preferred Provider” Practice and why YOU should be able to choose to see the dentist who YOU PREFER, rather than the dentist that the fund prefers you see.

At Kingston Beach Dental, we provide quality and caring dentistry. The best treatment decisions are made through consultation between patient and dentist, and without influence from the health fund.

Our position is supported by the Australian Dental Association (ADA). Dr Terry Pitsikas AM, chair of the ADA’s Schedule and Third Party Committee, says that in the past 10 years that private health insurers have begun aggressively targeting an increase in the numbers of contracted dentists and that health funds actually owning dental surgeries raises serious ethical issues: “One of the problems we have philosophically is whether a health insurer should actually be providing the service for which they are charging a fee, providing a rebate and then charging the contributor a fee to actually join the insurer,” he says, describing a clear conflict of interest that is not visible to the patient. (Bite Magazine The Problem with Preferred Providers, February 2015).

“Preferred Providers” are NOT preferred because of their dental ability, but because they make a financial agreement with the health fund. Health funds are not concerned with the quality of treatment, only concerned with securing shareholder profits through an increased number of patients. There is no assurance about the quality of the work provided in a “Preferred Provider” contract. Health funds impose annual limits on the amount you can claim. If you receive higher rebates back at a "Preferred Provider" practice, you will reach the limit of what you can claim sooner and then be out-of-pocket. Unfortunately, the health funds focus is to encourage you to go to practices that they have financial arrangements with because it benefits them to do so, particularly once your limit is used up.

It is important to be comfortable with your dentist. We believe you should see the dentist YOU PREFER to see. You should feel confident being treated by them and knowing that they are recommending the best treatment for you. You also want assurance that you will have continuity of care with your dentist, and not have your right to choose dictated by your health fund and their contractual arrangements with particular dentists.

If is very unfair if you pay the same premiums as “Joe Bloggs” but get lower rebates because you go to the dentist you prefer. If you pay the same premium, you deserve the best care and the same rebates as other contributors, regardless of where you go.

Once a dentist enters into an exclusive arrangement with a health fund, the funds may reduce their rebate over time, while the dentist’s overheads will probably increase. This means the “Preferred Provider” dentists may work at an increased speed and use cheaper quality materials to maintain their income. Some dentists unfortunately may start to cut corners or make decisions about treatment based on the best rebate payments offered by the health fund, rather than what is the best option for you. There are examples of over-servicing and sending lab work to cheap overseas dental laboratories when decisions are made based on health fund rebates. The health fund has therefore interfered in the decision-making process about your care. The NHS in the UK is an excellent example of the poor level of dental care provided when a third party is the major influence on dental treatment decisions.

Insurance is usually to cover BIG problems and should pay to cover almost all of your expenses. Extras cover only covers a proportion of relatively small health costs. It may be more cost effective to save your Extras Premiums and use the money you have saved directly towards health costs. Remember that your health funds impose annual limits on how much you can claim. If you go to a preferred provider practice because they are offering higher rebates, you will reach the limit of what your health fund will cover sooner. If you are spending more on your Extras Premiums than your receive in rebates it might be time to review your policy and decide whether it gives you value for money. If you are unhappy with your current health fund, perhaps it is time for a review?

Questions to ask your Health Fund:

Why are you telling me I can’t I see the dentist I prefer if I am paying the same premiums as someone who goes to a “Preferred Provider”?

Why haven’t my rebates increased in line with premium increases?

Why doesn’t the fund charge me lower premiums if I am getting lower rebates back for seeing the dentist I choose to see?

Other Questions to Consider:

Why do dentists make financial arrangements to be “Preferred Providers” with health funds?

Was it because they had trouble filling their appointment book? If so, why?

Are you really getting value for money from your extras cover?

What can you do as a patient to ensure the best care available?

Choose a dentist based on personal recommendations and word-of-mouth. This is our biggest source of referrals at Kingston Beach Dental. We do not need to rely on arrangements with health funds to secure our patients.

Discuss your treatment and the cost with your dentist. They want to look after you and develop a personalised treatment plan, tailored to your needs.

We are thrilled to announce that Kingston Beach Dental has been awarded full accreditation against the NSQHS Standards for Introductory Dental Practice Accreditation. We are the only dental practice in Kingborough to have achieved this.

This a gold star against our business name, and national recognition of the quality and caring dentistry that we provide. Well done to our whole team and our practice manager for the work involved in this achievement at Kingston Beach Dental.